Clasp.



9 w. c. MICHAEL, CLASP.

APPLICATION FILED 00T. 13l 1908.

949,938. Patented Feb. 22, 1910.

"JED srafranr WWE WILLIAM c. MICHAEL', or CLAREMONT, NEW HAMPSHIRE.

cLAsr.

To allwhom 'it may concern:

'Be. it known that- I, WILLIAM C. acitize-n of the United States, residingat Claremont, in the county offSullivan and State of New Hampshire, have invented. an Improvement in Clasps, of Which thel following-. description, in connection with the tli'ereoffvvhile vitss'cope will be'more parr'ying 1n'einber l, an'dva movable metallic aw accompanying drawings, is 'ya specification, like numerals on the drawingsrepresenting like parts.

My invent-ion relates to'clasps Aand more particularly,though not exclusively, to garment clasps,` the particular embodiment thereof bein'g herein shown as consistingof a -clasp intended for use v1n connectionl with .a Ahose supporter.

reference to'the 4following"description when taken" 1nconnection :with the accompanying illustration. .of one specific embodiment ""ticula'rly pointed out in the `appended 'In thedrawings.; Figure lfis hose supporter clasp embodying one form of'my invention; Fig. 2 is a. side elevation of thesame clasp w-ith the jaws open; Fig.

3v is a'sim'ilar vienY in section; Fig. 4 is a' similar sectional Vievvf with t-he jaws closed; Fig. 5 is a View similar to Fig. 4 illustrating its l'utility in. connection "with garments of extra thickness; Fio. 6 is a sectional eleva` tionof'ainodiiiedform-of clasp; and Fig. Tisfa detail inplan of the lower' jaw of the clasp. sliopf'nfin Fig. 6.

.Rferijiiigto the' drawings-'and more partic'ul'arly toFigsL'1l t lfwhil'e my invention ma'y bejfembodied in various constructions and forms, the one therein disclosed is pro'- videdwith a lfixed metallic 'base or jaw car- 'ngwmember 2,." between which,4 as repl. ed Fig.V 5,7`tlie stocking or other garadapt'editofbe gripped. l f ffFlierear'fof'the base member herein is provided with an elongated eye or loop 3 to i receive thenusiialstrap,:"although suitable provision may be made for securing the .same

4'to cords or any other desired' connections,

as conditions may require. 'Atthe jaw .carrying end' the base member. 1 is provided with the upturned projectlng portion 4 which, inthe present ease, 1s pressed lup outof the 'metal of the base. 'The'coper'ating movable jaw member Z'is provided' with an l Specification of Letters Patent. "Patented Feb,V Application filed October 13,'19-08. Serial No, 457,459. i v

MICHAEL,

-a plan of al Nds opening 5 which, with the jaw depressed (F 1g. 4), registers withA and receives 'the upturned pro3ection 4 ofthe fixed jaw, sordi-- cient clearance :being left between-the pro: )ection and the opening'to receive more or less of the material of the stocking or other garment, so that the same is frictionally held between the two jawswith a firm'grip.

To increase the grip of the jaws upon the material of the garment, the projection 4 upon the fixed jaw ispreferably surrounded by a body 6 of friction material, such-as rubbody 6 of friction material are preferably turned up and against the said friction. ma teria-las at- 8 to retain the. latter in place:

To close the jaws there'is.'provided= suit able clamping means, hereiny in' therfbrm. of the locking'member or levert), pivoted-at l0 in the upturned sides of the base member and having a cam portion 11 adaptedlto engage-with a depression or bend' in the outer-face of the movable .jaw carrying 'member The proportions of the llocking lever and the jaw carrying leve-r are such that, when the locking-lever is.turne'd to the position shown in F ig. 4,-it-closes1the-jaws and-locksithem in closed positionxvhile the outer end ofthe locking lever overl'ies the opening' 5 in the movable jaw .and-the"v exi'n posed portion of the garment thereat.

The clamping lever is preferably designed to clamp the movable-jaw into'rm gripping relation -ivith the tixed: janv-member, as represented 'in Fig, however! thin :the

4intervening?garment may bei Incase, how;-

ever,the clasp is called: upon t o1 grip. mater 'rial of unusual' thickness-,-V yielding-:means are preferably provided' whereby .the' clamping lever -is 'permittedits. fulllampmg movement-1 irrespective--4 of fthe: Ythickness .3

the garment. v. v lVhile' this may be .accomplished.nrfa'arions fwaysr herein :I have provided .means n'here'by, when the movable jawcoines; yto

rest in gripping engagement :with fthe. gai? .-.t

ment, further movement of -thefclainping means to its final positionresults midepress.- ing thelopposite end of the )am 'le-ver. Here- I end of the jaw carrying lever against itsl fulcrum seat. Such seat may berprovided by various means but herein it is rovided by an elongated slot l5 arrange transversely in each upturned side of the base and adapted to receive each an outwardly turned lug shaped portion 16 on the jaw lever, each of which is adapted to work and seat in its respective slot.`

Normally, as lrepresented in Figs. 2 and 3,-

the spring 12 orces the fulcrumed end of the lever into its seat in the slot 15. When, however, the clamping lever is turned down to the positionshown in F ig. 4. the jaw lever is swung about its fulcrum seat against the compression of the spring 12 until the movable jaw meets and grips the garment. This preferably takes 'lace before the clamping member has compliated its movement, so that further movement thereof merely tends to compress the sprin and withdraw the fulcrumed end of the jaw lever from its seat 1n the slot 15, causing it to assume, for example, some such position as is shown in Fig.- 5. It will be obvious that the above described construction provides .for a garment clasp which is adapted to grip the garments of,

varyln thicknesses with the same tension,

determined in each case by the s ring l2.

-My Iinvention, so. far as it re ates to the last described feature, is in no wise limited to the particular construction of claspin grooves 18 prefera ly arranged to register with 'a transversely projecting portion 19 carried by the movable jaw member 2'0. .In this form of jaw the garment is fgri ped directly between the movable jaw ami) the vfriction material and the lixed jaw, the

grooved portion of the friction material preventing the slippage of the garment.

While I have shown and described one 4form of my invention for the sake of illustratin one concrete embodiment thereof, it is to e understood that the same is not limited thereto, but that extensive variations ma be made in tli'e construction and form an arrangement of parts there Shown without de artmg from the spirit of the appended c aims.

a movable locking member to lock the ja/-O carrying members about the material to be gripped and a yieldable take-up interposed between the locking member .and the jaws to take up the surplus. movement of the locking` z member after t e jaws have gripped without substantial deformation of the movable jaw` carrying member whereby the locking member 1s permitted to execute its full clamping movement, irrespective ofthe thickness of the material to be'gripped.

'2. A clasp having a movable j awcarrying lever, a coperating j awfcarrying member, a fulcrum seat for the said lever, resilient means to press the lever against its seat, and means to force the lever about its fulcrum seat to close the jaws, Asaid lever being permitted to withdraw from its fulcrum seat against the pressure of said resilient means onfurther application of the said jaw closing means after the closure of the jaws.

3. A clasp having abase member provided with a fixed jaw, a movable member carrying a cooperating-jaw at one end, means on said base member providinga fulcrum seat for the opposite end of the movable member, a spring between the base and the movable member to force the latter against its fulcrum seat, and a cam lever pivoted on the base and adapted to enga e the back of the jaw-carrying member Aan move the latter about its fulcrum tojclose the jaws, movement of .the cam .lever subsequent to such'I .closureacting to withdraw the fulcrumed end of said member from itsseat against the spring. 4

4. A clasp provided with a pair of coperatingjaws,one being. rovided with abo y of rubber or other friction material surrounding a projection of relatively stiffer material, and the other rovided with an opening adapted to receive the said projection, and a face adapted to overlie the said friction material.

5. A clasp having a fixed jaw,comprising a metallic base member having a metallic projection, a bodyv of frictionmaterial restmg upon said base member and surrounding said projection, anda movable jaw comprising a metallic plate ada ted to overlie the said friction material an provided with an .opening adapted to receive the said' metallic rojection.

6. n a clasp, the combination with a jawcarrying member and a Vcoperating jawcar ing lever, of a cam member for movin the jaw-carrying lever 'to close the jaws, an

resilient means ,for automatically opening.

point olf applica- 4slot or slots presenting a fulcrum seat ,for

said jaw-carrying lever, and means for forcing the said lever into clasping engagement with the jaw-carrying member about its fulcrum seat in said slot.

8. A clasp having coperating jaw-carry# ing members, one provided with slotted Wall portions and the other fnlcrumed in the slot-ted end of lsaid wall portions, means for closing said jaw-carrying members, and a s rin@r for o eninfr the same when released.

slot,yand the spring 12 located at one side of the cam lever.

10. A clasp having a movable, non-itlexing, jaw-carrying member, Aa cooperating jawcarrying member, a spring tending to open said jaws, clamping means to close the jaws againstt-he yielding movement of the spring,

the non-flexing jaw-carrying member being further movable under' the-yielding of the spring after the closing of the jaws.

11. A clasp'having a non-flexing, jawcarrmving member, a coperating jaw-carrying member, a spring tending to open said jaws, clamping means engaging said jawcarrying member tending to close the same against the movement of the spring, and a fulcruming rest for the said member located at a different point in its length than the point of application of said sprino.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this speciiication, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

WILLIAM C. MICHAEL.

Witnesses:

WIEBE S. Horsrm, H. W. P. PUTNAM. 

